Canopy



Aug. 29, 1967 E. STRQM 3,338,252

CANOPY Filed June 7, .1965

United States Patent O n 3,338,252 l CANoPY 'Ernest Strom, North St. Paul, Minn. (1261 Payne Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55101) Filed June 7,1965, Ser. No. 461,662 2 Claims. (Cl. 135-5) This invention relates to adjustable coverings or canopies, and is best described in terms of an adjustable cover for sandboxes or picnic tables. 'I'he invention provides a protective awning which is normally suspended Well above the table-top and oiers shelter from sun and showers. When more exposure is desired, areas of the awning may be folded back, or the entire structure may be tilted to either side. The awning may be lowered onto the table-top as a protectiveV cover during periods of nonuse. Adjustments may be made easily and without tools. The entire canopy may be easily removed from the table when desired.

In the drawing,

FIGURE l is a side elevation, and FIGURE 2 an end elevation of a presently preferred embodiment with portions removed for clarity of illustration, and

FIGURES 3-10 are partial detail views of components I of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring primarily to FIGURES 1 and 2, the canopy consists generally of a flexible cover 20, c g. of canvas, supported on a ridged rectangular framework 21 which in turn is adjustably suspended from uprights 22, 23, the latter being removably attached to a table-top 24 by adjustable clamp members 25, 26.

The upright 22 consists of two parallel tubular Asupports 27, 28 fastened at one end to the clamp 25 and at the other end to a cap 29. Ihe latter, shown in plan view in FIGURE 9, carries a spirally grooved roller 30 between supports 31 for use in raising and lowering the movable top assembly and for locking the same at any desired height. The clamp is further illustrated in plan View in FIGURE 4 and in partial section in FIGURE 6. It consists of a frame 32 in the form of a widened inverted L, to which is attached a brace 33 and a plate 34. The brace 33 is provided with a screw clampmember for attaching the clamp to the table-top 24 as shown in FIGURE 1. The plate 34 is partially rolled outwardly at each end to form offset tubular channels 35, 36 into which the tubes 27, 28 are fastened. 'I'he lower edge of the frame 32 is rounded as shown in FIGURE 2, and the plate 34 is folded around this rounded edge as more clearly indicated in FIGURES 1 and 6 to form a snug-fitting channel 37. 'Ihe plate 34 is pivotally a'xed to the frame 32 by a pivot bolt 38 passing through matching holes in both plate and frame, and is held in any desired angular position by locking bolt 39 passing through a lower hole in the plate and any one of a series of holes 40 arcuately positioned in the frame 32. The construction described permits the uprights, and therefore the entire awning, to be pivoted towards either side of the table and to be held firmly in position. The lower bolt 39 may if desired be replaced by a spring pin, the lower channel 37 of plate 34 coacting with the frame 32 and providing suiiicient rigidity to prevent longitudinal sway of the cover when thus supported.

It will be appreciated that the upright 23 and clamp 26 are of similar construction except for the cap 41, an end elevation of which is shown in FIGURE 5. The cap 41 is centrally perforated as at 42 or otherwise provided with means for fastening an end of the cord on which the frame 21 is suspended.

The frame 21 consists of a ridgepole 43 and opposing identical end spreaders 44, 45, supported from identical Vgliders 46, 47 and in turn supporting side tubes 61, 62 and the canvas cover 20.

The glider 46 shown in side and front elevation in FIGURES 1 and 2 is further illustrated in plan view in FIGURE 3. It consists of a plate perforated above the center and on the vertical axis to receive the ridgepole 43, rolled into tubular shape at each side to provide olset channels 48, 49 for tubes 27, 28, and rolled into oppositely offset channel 50 at the bottom edge to receive end spreader 44. The spreader 44 is permanently fastened in place within the channel 5.0, whereas the glider is free to slide along the tubes 27, 28. At the upper edge of the glider 46 a pulley or roller 51 is located between two supports 52, these elements being omitted in FIGURE 3 for clarity of illustration. It will be appreciated that the structure of glider 46 is identical with that of glider 47.

A cord 53, indicated by broken line in FIGURE 1, passes from the cap 41 of upright 23 around the pulley atop glider 47 thence around the pulley S11 -atop glider 46, and around the grooved roller 30 on cap 29, from whence it descends outwardly of the canopy to any convenient storage area. Pulling on the free portion of the cord 53 raises the cover assembly to any desired vertical position, where it may lbe kept in place by releasing the cord from a position to one side of the upright 22, the offsetting and holding action of the roller 30 operating in the manner commonly employed with blinds and draperies.

The end spreader 44 has a central primary tubular member 54 `and opposing pivoted tubular extensions 55, 56 connected through hinge means 57, 58, shown in section in FIGURE 7. Clamps 59, 60, shown in section in FIGURE 8, are employed to support the side tubes 61, 62. The hinged spreaders permit either side edge portion of the canopy to be retracted, by folding back over the central portion, whenever reduced shelter area is desired.

'Ihe canvas cover may be permanently secured to the frame members or may be designed for ready removal, for example by means of snaps or ties. It is reinforced along seams, edges, and areas of contact with frame components, and may be provided with fringed or scalloped edges or any other desired decorative modifications. Reinforcing cords or extra thicknesses of canvas serve to support the ends of the cover between the ridgepole and the side poles. A preferred cover structure employs a slotted section as shown in FIGURE 10 for fitting over the caps 29 and 41 and around the uprights 22, 23. The edges defining the lslot 63 are preferably bound or otherwise reinforced to prevent undue wear.

In a typical adjustable canopy structure as hereinbefore described the frame 21 is 64 x 84 inches, the uprights are 48 inches in height, and the framework is constructed of 5%; inch diameter aluminum tubing.

It will be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be employed within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An adjustable canopy suitable for mounting on a table-top and comprising: two opposing upri-ght support members each consisting of two parallel tubular supports, a cap connecting said tubular supports at their upper ends, a flat base connecting said tubular supports at their lower ends, a clamp member attachable to an end edge of said table-top and to which said at base is pivotally attached, and lock means for retaining said at base -against said clamp member with said tubular supports in upright position at `any desired angle with the horizontal; two slidable glider members one on each of said upright sup port members; a generally rectangular cover member having a framework including two terminally retractable end spreaders one attached to each of said glider members, two side members connecting corresponding ends of, and extending somewhat beyond, said spreaders, and a ridgepole parallel to and coextensive with said side memabove-the positionof the spreaders, and a flexible cover overlying and supported -by said frame and slotted to receive said upright support members; and means for suspending said lcovermember at any desired vertical position along said upright support members.

V2. The canopy'of claim 1 in which the cover member suspending means includes a pulley at the upper center of each of said glider members, a spirally grooved pulley suspended from one of said cap members, and a cord passing from the other of said cap members, beneath the pulleys on said glider members, over the grooved pulley, and thence downward outside of said canopy.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/ 1890 Letchworth et al. 297-184 12/ 1913 Grissim 13S-5 10/1918 Stockwell 13S-5 2/1930 Medart 135-5 4/1965' Rollins 13S-5 2/ 1966 Ferrier 135-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1948 Australia.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Exaniu'ner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE CANOPY SUITABLE FOR MOUNTING ON A TABLE-TOP AND COMPRISING: TWO OPPOSING UPRIGHT SUPPORT MEMBER EACH CONSISTING OF TWO PARALLEL TUBULAR SUPPORTS, A CAP CONNECTING SAID TUBULAR SUPPORTS AT THEIR UPPER ENDS, A FLAT BASE CONNECTING SAID TUBULAR SUPPORTS AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, A CLAMP MEMBER ATTACHABLE TO AN END EDGE OF SAID TABLE-TOP AND TO WHICH SAID FLAT BASE IS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED, AND LOCK MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID FLAT BASE AGAINST SAID CLAMP MEMBER WITH SAID TUBULAR SUPPORTS IN UPRIGHT POSITION AT ANY DESIRED ANGLE WITH THE HORIZONTAL; TWO SLIDABLE GLIDER MEMBERS ONE ONE EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORT MEMBERS; A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR COVER MEMBER HAVING A FRAMEWORK INCLUDING TWO TERMINALLY RETRACTABLE END SPREADERS ONE ATTACHED TO EACH OF SAID GLIDER MEMBERS, TWO SIDE MEMBERS CONNECTING CORRESPONDING ENDS OF, AND EXTENDING SOMEWHAT BEYOND, SAID SPREADERS, AND A 